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,FFICE.

JOHN MENZIES, OF KYNETON, VICTORIA.

TRAM-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 350,263, dated October5,1886. Application filed April 9,1896. Serial No. 198,373. (No model.)Patented in Victoria January 22, 1885, No, 3,941.

To (tZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN MENZIEs, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at High Street, Kyneton, in the British Colony ofVictoria, corn-tactor, have invented new and useful Improvements in andConnected with Tram-Cars, Railway RollingStoc-k and other Vehicles, (forwhich I, in conjunction with Arthur Hope, of Yarra Bank, SouthMelbourne, in the said colony, engineer, and James Fulton, of GrevilleStreet, Irahran, also in the said colony, engineer, have obtainedLetters Patent in the British Colony of Victoria, patent dated the 22dday of January, 1885, and numbered 3,944,) of which the following is aspeci fication.

This invention has been designed, principally, with the object oflessening the cost and maintenance of street-tramways and their cars,and is intended for use, principally, in connection with such lines ashave a groove for the gripping-stein between the rails. Further, it isdesigned to cause the wheels of such ears or railway rolling-stock totake their proper radial position on the rails when traveling overcurves, and also to retain them on the track without the aid of flangedwheels. The rails which I prefer to use for the tramways are perfectlyfiat, without any groove for the wheel flange or any upstandingribswhatever, so that when laid flush with the streets they are noobstruction to the vehicular traffic passing over them; but for railwaysI do not propose to alter the construction of the permanent way.

The first improvement relates to the wheels and the mode of mounting thecars upon them, this latter part being applicable to other vehicles.Thus each wheel or pair of wheels is secured within a separate frame,and such frame is attached to the car or under frame by means of acentral pivot or bolt, so that when turning sharp curves thewheel-frames are caused to radiate independently of each other, eitherby the aid of guide -wheels working against the side of the rails, or byguide stems or wheels traveling within the groove and thus causing thewheels to follow more closely the line of said curve, and as the wheelsaremade without flanges the friction on them and the rails is reduced toa minimum.

The second improvement relates to the means I employ for retaining thetram-cars on their tracks. For this purpose I utilize the central groovefor the gripping stem or tongue, in which I place suitable stems orguide-wheels firmly attached to and descending from the under carriageof the car, so as to retain it in a central position between the railswhen traveling. By this means I am able to dispense with the use ofpoints on such tramways. I also provide means for detaching or raisingand lowering the gripping-stems and guidewheels clear of the level ofthe road, so that in case of any breakage or accident of any kind toprevent the working of the tramway my cars may be run as an ordinaryvehicle on common roads.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I will now explainit with reference to the accompanying sheets of drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 is a transverse View, of atram-car in which my improvements are embodied. Fig. 3 is a plan of itswheel-frames, and Fig. 4: is a transverse view, showing the method ofattaching the wheel-frames to the car. Fig. 5 shows the method ofatlixing a guide-wheel to the pivot of the wheel-frame. Fig. 6 showsalternative constructions of the guide-stems. Fig. 7 is a sideelevation, and Fig. 8 is an end view, of a railway-truck constructed onthe bogie principle, and having my improved guide wheels attached to thewheel-frames. Fig. 9 is a plan of the wheel-frames, showing them in theposition they would assume when the truck is traveling over a curve.Fig. 10 is a side view, and Fig. 11 is an end view and crosssection, ofone system of supporting each wheel within an independent frame. Fig. 12is a plan of the under side of another system of supporting each wheelindependently, but in this case the opposite frames are connectedtogether by transverse bars. Fig. 13 is a plan of the under side of avehicle for ordinary purposes, showing the method of attaching the frontand back bogie-frames together, While Fig. 14 shows an alternative meansfor accomplishing the same purpose.

In Figs. 1 to 6, A is the body of the car, constructed as shown, withits floor brought very close to the ground, which is reached by the twosteps A. B are the bogie or wheel frames, secured to the car by thecentral pivot, B, and these frames support the vertical props B whoseupper ends are connected to the springs 13, to which are affixed thebearings B" for the axles of the wheels 13. C are the rails, which maybe of any fiat-headed description, and O is the central groove. 1) isthe movable guide-wheel, centered on the arm D, which is secured uponthe transverse bar I), supported in bearin gs attached to the frame B,and at the end. of which bar is the handlever I), by which saidguide-wheel may be raised from. the central groove, 0, when it isdesired to run the car on the common roads. On the opposite side of theframe the guide is shown in the form of a stem, D, affixed direct to theframe 15, and on the other frame the guide-wheels l.) are shown centeredin brackets D, which are affixed to the frame 13, while Fig. (3 showsthat the stem 1) may be movable, and also that it may be furnished witha conieal roller, D. The guide-wheel shown in Fig. 5 is intended to beattached to the bogie-frame 13 immediately under or to the lower end ofits pivot B.

Figs. 7, S, and 9 represent a railway-truck mounted on the flangelesswheels E, which are supported in the wheelframes E, provided with thesprings Ff. These wheel-frames are shown attached to the under frame, E,of the truck by the-central pivot E, and the under frame is attached tothe bottom of the truck by the central pin or pivot E \Vhen trucks areconstructed with only a single pair of wheels at either end, it is notnecessary to have the under frame, E, as the wheel-frameis pivoteddirect to thetruck. Each wheel is keyed upon a separate axle, E",working in bearings W, as shown. F are the guide-wheels, which I employfor railway rolling-stock to retain them in position on the rails, andto insure of their axles radiating to take their true position whentravelin upon a curve. These guide-wheels are affixed in thepositionshown in Fig. 8, and they are centered between the bifurcated end of thestem F, which is affixed to the transverse bar of the wheel-frame, thestems being screwed and furnished with nuts to enable the position ofthe wheels to be adjusted to a nicety to suit the curves.

Figs. 10 and 11. represent one system of mounting each wheel within aseparate frame, which is pivoted directly above the wheel to the frameof the truck or car, after the manner of ordinary casters. I n thissystemthe wheels (2 are keyed upon short axles G, which work in thebearings G", which have upstanding stems G", fitting in the sockets G,which have within them the springs G as shown. These sockets are castupon a crown-plate, G, which works under and is centered to the plate G,which bolted, as shown, to the frame of the truck or car.

Fig. 12 illustrates another means of mounting wheels according to thissystem; but in this case the wheels III are shown flanged, and

each are again supported in a distinct frame, H, which is pivoted to thetruck at H, immediately above the wheel; but these frames are connectedtogether by the transverse bars 11, thus forming a parallel motion, andso it is evident that if the truck were traveling over a curve thecenter line of its frame would assume the position indicated by thedotted lines.

Fig. 13 shows the system of mountingan ordinary road-vehicle upon itswheels to allow of its turning the smallest possible curves withoutundue friction or drag upon its wheels J, which are either both looseupon the one axle, J, or affixed upon separate short axles J. Theseaxles are supported in bearings attached to the wheel-framesJ, which arepivoted at I to the frame of the vehicle, and these frames are connectedto one another by the diagonal rods J so that as the pole J radiates thefront frame the back frame is caused to similarly radiate by their beingconnected together by said rods J or the same may be accomplished byextending the pole J backward and placing its slotted end on the pin J,which is attached by means of the bracket J to the back wheel-frame, asshown in Fig. 14.

By constructing tramcars according to this system the flanges of thewheels are dispensed with. Consequently the cars may be used, ifdesired, on the common roads. The groove now in use for thegripping-stems is-utilized for retaining the cars on the track andgoverning the radial position of the wheel-axles, thus enabling the carsto turn very small curves with ease and without any drag on the wheels.Further, this system enables the floor of the car to be brought nearerthe ground. The system applied to railway rollingstock also enables thewheel-flanges to be dispensed with, if so desired, as by attachingguide-wheels to the wheel or hogie frames the wheels are retained inposition on the rails, and their frames are compelled to radiate, so asto enable the wheels to travel freely over the curves, whichconsequently can be made of a lesser radius. The system applied toordinary vehicles is that instead of the back pair of wheels dragging,as is the case when their frames are a fixture to the vehicle, by mysystem. immediately the front pair radiate to take a curve the back pairare compelled to similarly radiate, as before described.

Having thus described the nature of my invention and the manner ofperforming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confinemyself to the precise details herein de scribed and explained, andillustrated in my drawings, so long as the nature and essence of my saidinvention be retained; but

Vhat I believe to be new, and therefore claim as my improvements in andconnected with tram cars, railway rolling -stock, and other vehicles,is-

1. in a tramway, the combination, substantially as described, of a trackhaving flat top rails and a guide-groove between said rails, with acar-truck, flangeless wheels for said I GO TIC)

truck arranged to turn on vertical pivots, and a flangeless guide-wheeloperating in the groove of the track, for the purpose specified.

2. In a tramway, the combination, substantially as described, of a trackhaving flat top rails and a guide-groove between said rails, with acar-truck, flangeless wheels for said truck arranged to turn on verticalpivots, a flangeless guide-wheel operating in the groove of the trackand turning on a vertical pivot, and means, such as described, forlifting the guide-wheel out of the guide-groove, for the purposespecified.

3. In a tram-car, the combination, with the car-body, of a wheel-framehaving the bearings for the wheelaxles located above the frame andflooring of the car, substantially as described, for the purposesspecified.

4. In a tram-car, the combination, with the car-body, of a wheel-framepivoted to the under side thereof, and having the bearings for thewheel-axles located above the frame and purpose specified.

5. In a tram-car, the combination, with the car-body and a wheel-framepivoted to the under side thereof, and having the bearings for thewheel-axles located above the frame, of flangeless wheels, and a guideoperating to maintain the wheels upon the rails, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a tram-car, the combination, with the car-body, of a wheel-framepivoted thereto, fiangeless wheels mounted in said wheel-frame, aguide-wheel frame, a guidewheel mounted therein and arranged to run in agroove or way in the track, and aleverpivoted in bearings on saidwheel-frame, to which lever said guide-wheel frame is secured,substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

JOHN MENZ'IES.

Witnesses:

EDWARD WATERs, WALTER SMYTHE BAYSTON.

